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Indonesian initiative for Afghan peace

IT is heartening to note that the Muslim religious scholars are now more open and forthcoming while issuing edicts or speaking against terrorism and extremism. Following Paigham-i-Pakistan narrative launched earlier this year that envisaged decree against militancy and suicide attacks, other Muslim countries are also now following the suit — something that indeed will go a long way in projecting real message of Islam to the outside world. Indonesia is the latest country that issued an edict against suicide attacks by also engaging religious scholars from Pakistan and Afghanistan at a conference, which was seen as a bid to convince the Taliban and other warring factions to end violence in Afghanistan.
Indonesian President Joko Widodow who opened the conference expressed commitment to help build peace in the war torn Afghanistan. He said that Ulema are symbol of peace and they have the power to form the face of peaceful people. One fully agrees with the assertions of the Indonesian President as common people not only respect but also value the opinion of religious scholars and by promoting teachings of Islam, the scholars can bring a change in the Muslim society that is free from extremism and radicalisation. As Taliban also attended the conference, we expect that the process of engaging them at different levels will continue to address their grievances and woo them to pursue the path of negotiations to bring an end to prolonged conflict in Afghanistan. As Saudi Arabia is set to hold a meeting of Islamic scholars on Afghan war in July, we expect the occasion will be used to evolve a mechanism to steer the Muslim world out of bloody conflicts including the one in Afghanistan.